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Brands join TBWA\New Zealand's fight against retouched images and filters

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By Shawn Lim, Reporter, Asia Pacific

March 29, 2022 | 3 min read

Bodyright, a global initiative from TBWA\New Zealand, has launched a campaign to encourage brands, influencers, and advertisers to use images on social media that are unfiltered and unretouched.

Bodyright

To change this, the campaign wants people to use Ⓑ, a unicode symbol on their images or social profile / TBWA\New Zealand

The campaign, called ‘March Unfiltered’, aims to address the issue of filters being used by people online, resulting in mental health, body image, and self-esteem issues.

Several brands have already voiced their support for the initiative, including Trilogy Skincare, 2degrees, and The Warehouse.

According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, some people are undergoing surgery to change their appearances to be more attractive online.

Ⓑodyright from Bodyright on Vimeo.

To change this, the campaign wants people to use Ⓑ, a unicode symbol on their images or social profile. The symbol is proof that the images are unretouched and realistic.

During the week of “March Unfiltered”, Bodyright will flood social channels with images using the symbol to encourage people to do the same.

“Advertising agencies have been retouching images for years and social media has taken this to the next level in a way that negatively impacts people’s self-image, sense of self-worth, and self-esteem. People are creating images even of themselves that portray something that isn’t real or achievable,” said Catherine Harris, the chief executive at TBWA\NZ.

“That’s not real life and we shouldn’t expect people to hold a mirror up and feel disappointed when they don’t see perfection. March Unfiltered is about letting everyone know no body is wrong, and that we all deserve to be comfortable and happy in our skin - that’s the point of the Bodyright movement.”

March Unfiltered by TBWA

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